Occupational Therapy Essay

Our brain is made up of neurons that produce neurotransmitters that enables the cells to communicate with each other and control our brain functions. Dementia happens when these neurons lose connection, die and stop working due to physical changes in the brain caused by a disease or accident. It is one of the leading cause of death in the United States and the only one that can't be cured, prevented or delayed. Approximately 5 million Americans are suffering from this disease and these numbers are projected to increase in the years to come. There are numerous research and studies dedicated to dementia, but the breakthrough is elusive. According to the dictionary (n.d.), Dementia is a severe impairment or loss of intellectual capacity and
Promoting independence is also important with dementia clients. Occupational therapists begin work by evaluating their client to determine the areas that need intervention to enhance their quality of life, and to increase their function in activities of daily living. These interventions depend on the needs and the capacity of the individual. Occupational therapy interventions involve various approaches such as health promotion, remediation, maintenance, and modification ("Dementia and the Role of Occupational Therapy", n.d.). The Occupational therapy practitioner can enrich their client's lives by helping them maintain strength so the client can perform the activities that are meaningful to them. They may also work with the client's restoration of physical skills such as endurance, the range of motion and strength. Occupational therapy practitioner also provides support to maintaining the person's skills for as long as possible. With dementia, modification of environment may be used as an intervention to ensure safety. Some of the problematic behaviors that are caused by dementia are disorientation, personality changes, non-productive behavior, and being forgetful. A person with dementia gets disoriented and wanders. Technology such as the use of a door alarm can be used as a way to prevent this from happening to ensure the safety of the person with dementia. It is also important that the person
An Occupational therapy can work and help them in all the stages. At the early stage of dementia, the clients can still function in their daily life activities. They might forget appointments or when to take their medication. An Occupational therapist may recommend memory aid such as calendars or daily routine schedule can help the person with dementia maintain their independence. At the middle stage of dementia, the clients may need assistance with basic self-care such as toileting, grooming, and bathing. At this stage, Occupational therapist will work in retraining the patient in performing their daily occupations in life. With late-stage dementia, the severe loss of motor control is evident at this stage. The client may not be able to perform self-care task on their own. At this stage, it is time to educate the caregiver on proper positioning to avoid bed sores and to increase comfort, safe transfer and contracture